


I will never let you forget

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Death, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mental Instability, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 15:00:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21138593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: What is real and what is not





	I will never let you forget

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello!   
I’m feeling like hell so I might as well be dying. I was asked for angst (I’m looking at you, K) and it got… intense.  
And so, this is your official warning.  
This fic is very dark, deals with nightmares, mentions of death, vivid and drastic situations, as well as mental illnesses and hospitals. If you are feeling down or are fragile and sensitive, this fic might not be for you. Take care of yourselves, guys <3  
Anyway  
Enjoy… I guess?

The house was a mess. Toys were sprawled all over the floor, a blue hoodie barely hanging onto the back of the couch, black suit jacket laying by the table, creasing in every way imaginable. Her heels clicked as she moved, calling out for her two boys. She was gone for the last couple of days, her parents having a bit more trouble than any of them previously anticipated, and she couldn’t wait to see her husband and son.

As expected, she found them in Theo’s room. Or, at least, she knew she did, even though both boys were sure they were hidden. She started searching the room, playing along, looking in a few places before standing in front of the closet. A pair of long legs was sticking out from beneath the blanket. Claire trailed her fingers up Ethan’s thighs, tickling him before throwing the soft material away. There they were, faces covered in chocolate, guilty expressions on their faces.

“Seriously, guys? You ate the cake and didn’t invite me to join in? I’m offended.” She huffed, mocking her upset state. Theo crawled to her, throwing his arms around her neck.

“Sorry, Mommy. We have some more if you want. We’ll even let you into our fort if you want!” his expression turned from sad to happy in a matter of seconds. She ruffled his hair, her eyes moving to her husband.

“Oh, I don’t know. Am I allowed into the fort, Dr. Ramsey?” she teased him, watching his face melt in relief that she was finally home.

“No, Mommy, it’s Daddy the Dragon Slayer! He’s going to help us!” Theo exclaimed, sitting down next to his father. Claire sat down next to her son, kissing his forehead.

“I’m sorry, Daddy the Dragon Slayer. Now, give me that chocolate cake or my magic won’t work.”

“Yes, Mommy the Fairy.”

They sat in the closet for a while longer before Ethan decided to get them all out of there and back to the living room. He embraced his wife as Theo gathered his toys to being with him. They didn’t say a word to one another, they didn’t have to. Their eyes did all the talking, as did their smiles and the way their bodies embraced each other. She was about to say something, when Ethan’s face got neutral, looking past her. She turned around and felt her blood run cold.

Theo was climbing onto the window, laughing. She tried to move, but it seemed impossible, she would never get there in time. He grabbed the window frame and places his tiny legs on his bed, half of his body already outside.

“Theo, what are you doing? Please, get down, it’s not safe to look out the window like that!” she exclaimed, running, but yet again, it was like she hasn’t moved at all. Theo turned around to look at her, his face a picture of horror.

“You didn’t save me, Mommy.” He spoke, loudly and clearly, his eyes seeing straight through her.

“What? What do you- Ethan? Ethan! Eth-“ she breathed deeply, confused and lost. Turning around, she expected to see her husband, ready to help her save their son. But that was not what happened

Instead, the only sound in the room was her piercing scream as she looked at him, burning alive. His clothes were charred, red and yellow flames licking up his body. his eyes were hollow, emotionless, _dead_.

“Don’t come any closer to him, Claire. You left us. _You let us die_.” His voice was cold and bleak, cutting through her like glass, taking a step towards her. She stumbled backwards, bringing her closer to Theo, who in turn leaned outside even more.

The closer to her Ethan got, the farther away she tried to get, and the more Theo was slipping out the window. Claire looked between the two of them, a situation so horrific, there was no way it was real. It must have been a dream.

But it felt real. She could feel her son’s panic in her own bones and she could smell the gasoline, the scent of burning flesh and blood.

_Blood._

“Mommy? Mommy, help me! He-“ the last words she heard from her son was his desperate cry for help before he fell out the window, his screams echoing, ringing in the air, seemingly never ending.

“Theo!” Claire cried out as she threw herself in the direction of the window, but something stopped her. Some_one_ stopped her. A stinging sensation ran through her left wrist, all the way to the bone.

Ethan’s hand wrapped around hers, flames picking up in intensity as his anger peaked. Skin to skin, burning her flesh. She let out another scream, tears falling from her eyes as she begged him to make it stop.

“It’s your fault he’s dead. It’s your fault I’m dead. I will never let you go, I will never let you leave, I will _never _let you forget that everything that happened is your fault.” He hissed, leaning in, letting her feel his breath on her face, hot like the flames that ate his body.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, please, come back to me, please-“ she pleaded, crying, screaming, her eyes instantly widening as his grip on her wrist tightened impossibly.

\--- --- ---

“Doctor! She’s bleeding!” a nurse called out, her voice coming to Claire like through the thick veil. Some commotion occurred next to her, white coat flashing in her vision. A strong, confident touch was felt on her wrist, a quiet curse falling from the lips of an older man.

“Damn it, she tore her wrist open. Give her a sedative, we have to stop the bleeding and calm her down before she hurts herself even more.” He gave the orders, running out the door to call another doctor for help.

Claire blinked slowly, shaking her head before looking down. Her eyes focused enough to notice that her wrist was red, so were her fingers and nails. Covered in blood.

Her blood.

She tore her wrist open. The stinging she felt was her nails, ripping her skin apart. So it really was a dream.

“Ethan…” she muttered, moving to sit up. “Theo…”

“Oh, sweetie…” nurse smoothed her hair, smiling at her sympathetically. “They aren’t- “

“Nurse! A word.” Male voice called out, pulling the woman aside. Claire could only hear bits and pieces of their conversation. “She… they’re dead… fire… out the window… poor thing, she’s alone now…”

The world stopped as she listened. Was she… alone? Ethan and Theo were…

“They’re dead? What… Where…” she whispered, anxiety bubbling in her chest. She began hyperventilating, her heart rate picking up, tears falling from her eyes uncontrollably.

“She’s panicking. Strap her in and sedate her. Sedate her, damn it!” Doctor called out, keeping Claire pressed against the bed by her shoulders, waiting until her hands and legs were tied to the bedframe. A syringe punctured her skin as a drug was administered, her spasms slowing down and finally ceasing. She fell against the mattress, her eyes closing as she quietly slipped into the unconsciousness, the emptiness of her psychiatric hospital room matching the emptiness of her heart after loosing her husband and son to the terrible force of a murderer


End file.
